Large manageable animals, such as horses, cows and sheep are generally moved from place to place through short distances by walking them, pulling or leading them on a simple lead rope attached to a bridle, a collar or the like. Such lead ropes are quite satisfactory in most instances, but some problems often arise to compound the difficulty of handling an animal with nothing more than the lead rope. For example, a horse that becomes nervous or over zealous often nudges or crowds its handler so that the handler is forced to push the horses head away with his elbow while pulling the lead rope with his hand.
Some restraining devices have been applied to halters or tethering ropes, i.e. when the animal is tied up. For example, Howe, U.S. Pat. No. 54,729 shows a halter on which a plurality of small cylinders are strung in the nature of beads to prevent the rope from being coiled about the legs of the animal, thereby reducing the chance of injury. Warne, et al U.S. Pat. No. 67,689 shows a halter comprising a rigid bar with straps on the ends to attach to the bridle of the horse and the hitching posts. Brubaker U.S. Pat. No. 136,811 shows a steel rod having loops at the opposite ends through which a strap may be strung to hitch a horse to a tree or a post while preventing him from rubbing against it. Because of the continuous strap, the horse is not freed by accidental breakage of the steel rod.